Freedom and Curiosity
by musicsage
Summary: [DMC SPOILERS] [twoshot] All the fans and their uncles and dogs have done it, so I apologize, but I couldn't resist either. A peek into the minds of Elizabeth and Jack at the end of DMC. JE involved.
1. Part I

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Pirates of the Caribbean_, nor do I claim to. This is just for fun; I get no monetary profits, and no copyright infringement is intended. (Does it have Freudian significance that I originally wrote by accident, "no copyright infringement is not intended"?)

**Author's Notes**: Okay, so it's been done a million times. But hey, these are short! I would even promise to give your money back if you don't like them, but it doesn't cost you anything in the first place, so I guess you'll just have to tell me exactly what you like or don't like about it, and all I can promise is that I'll try to do better next time. If you're actually giving this a chance... well, thank you over and over. And now, on to the plotless story...

--------------------

**_Freedom and Curiosity: Part I_**

--------------------

"_Elizabeth. It would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry."_

It's such a stupid, silly moment to remember, really. Even sillier to wonder if it truly could not have worked between us… But I could not possibly have captured a man like him—a man who has spent his life in a never-ending treasure hunt, chasing after that unattainable horizon and positively reveling in its intangibility. A man of such absolute freedom.

I remember watching from the ledge—that ledge he stumbled over so haplessly, though I had to wonder if even that was all part of the master plan he always seemed to have—and seeing him take hold of the wheel he held so sacred once more. _At last_. And I did wonder, then, what it would be like to hold that kind of freedom. Nothing behind you but the wind, nothing before you but that great horizon, nothing below you but the vast sea, nothing above you but the endless sky, nothing beside you but your crew. A life all of water and air and wood and ocean-scented wilderness, a no-holds-barred kind of life. Your whims were your only master. Your curiosity...

And this curiosity, the one I refused to confess, is haunting me now. The kinds of freedom you opened to me are such a stark contrast to my governor's-daughter life of corsets and arranged marriages that I have to wonder if I could have lived that way. You believed that I could—just as I believed that you could fulfill the curiosity I tried to make you face. After all, I nearly always knew that you were both a pirate and a good man, but to let go of all notions of self-preservation and the easy way out must have seemed to you unimaginable.

But we brought out these sides in each other. There's no denying that you made me yearn for freedom, and I think there were times when maybe, just maybe, I made you long for respect—from others, perhaps, but especially from yourself. Wouldn't it be nice not to have so many dishonorable actions weighing down on your conscience? You can pretend they aren't heavy, just as I can pretend that kiss was nothing more than a distraction, but we both know better.

I tried to give that respect to you, as a last gift to help atone for my betrayal, for I think the others believed me when I said you bravely chose to stay behind. "Pirate," you whispered then, and the understanding in your voice, echoing through my memory, makes me feel even more guilty. I know you would not begrudge me saving my own skin. But I don't have my own respect anymore, and I don't think I deserve yours.

And neither of our curiosities will ever really be fulfilled unless I can bring you back. Travel beyond the edges of the world and back again? It is nothing to me if it will return to you your future, your freedom.

I won't rest until you are chasing your horizon again.

And just maybe—I hardly dare to think it—but maybe... maybe I could be by your side.

--------------------

**A/N**: Hate it? Like it? Love it? Please tell! And in the meantime, I'll post the next part tonight as well. Thanks!


	2. Part II

**Disclaimer**: Still don't own it.

**Author's Notes**: So here's the second and last part. I hope you enjoy it!

--------------------

**_Freedom and Curiosity: Part II_**

--------------------

What did I have to lose? The _Black Pearl _was about to be wrecked, and its crew was fleeing to find a new freedom. But the _Pearl_ has always been my freedom.

Dying with it made sense, really.

However, our irrevocable bond, captain and ship, is forged from mutual liberation, not iron. I could not stand by passively, would not be defeated so easily, could never just watch it sink with a chain binding me to its deck when our real bond was so much stronger than those metal links.

So I broke free.

I broke free to make one last stand, finally donning my hat again and plunging a sword down the throat of that beast even as I knew it was about to eat me. Captain Jack Sparrow go down without a fight? Never! Because the difference between doing something with reluctance, hesitation, and shame, and doing it with pride, righteousness, and courage, is not a small one. In the end, that is what really makes all the difference. The freedom of choice to do what you want.

My mind flashes back to Elizabeth now. The one thing I wanted most in the world, according to the compass. Perhaps the only thing the compass pointed me towards that I never got to have. Secretly, I am glad that she is safe, and I hope she doesn't guilt herself too much over causing my death. She did the right thing, really. She did what she had to do to ensure the safety of the majority. Whatever I told Davy Jones, my soul is not worth more than those of her, Will, and the crew. It makes me wish that she had not felt she had to chain me to the ship—that she had not doubted her own assertion that I am a good man. And I hope that as I slash into the Kraken's mouth, having broken free but not run away, I am fulfilling her hopes for me. Much as I deny it, maybe I really am a good man… But now, it's time to realize that's a curiosity I'll never have satisfied.

"Hello, beastie."

_Goodbye, love._

--------------------

**A/N**: There you have it! I'm not sure if I like this one as much as the first part, but I think I'll leave the verdict on that to readers for now. As it is, you've probably noticed it's shorter: 360 words to the first part's 530. Anyway, that stuff's not really important. What is important to me is what you think! So whatever your opinion, please leave some feedback. Thanks bunches!


End file.
